


Grimm Tales

by LBarnes737



Category: Grimm (TV), Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13618281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LBarnes737/pseuds/LBarnes737
Summary: A new city, new grimms, and a new look at the wesen world, with some familiar faces popping up along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Any art displayed in these chapters are not mine.  
> Neither is the world this is set in or Trubel or Alexander (when they crop up)

**Present**

Sigmund looped Charlie's arm around his shoulders to prop his friend up as they hobbled down the street, Charlie wincing with every step as the giant bruise that had once been his waist and torso complained at him mercilessly. 

"Nearly there now," Sigmund told his companion encouragingly as he spotted the familiar sign. "Just a little bit further."

Charlie moaned in acknowledgement, or possibly just in pain from his battered body.

The sign in question, a teacup outlined in metal and painted silver, though the pigment was beginning to fade in some areas, swung suspended above the sidewalk, the comforting aroma of coffee and baked goods wafting out of the open door of the coffee house.

The two boys stumbled through the entrance and headfirst into a man coming in the opposite direction. All three of the yelped in surprise, and it was only the mans quick reflexes that saved his takeaway coffee from being spilt all down his front as he twisted around the two of them.

"Careful!" he cried out, even as the two boys jerked backwards, causing Charlie to gasp as Sigmund put too much pressure on his delicate ribs.

"Sorry," Sigmund said in alarm as he quickly released his grip on his friends waist before turning back to the customer and bobbing his head apologetically. with each bob his sunglasses slipped further down his nose until they were balanced precariously on the very tip of it.    

The man nodded hurriedly before skirting past them and out onto the street, taking off quickly down the way they had just come.

"What happened to you!?" 

Sigmund turned to see his cousin, Madeline, standing before him looking a mixture between alarmed and baffled, an expression that, unless you had experience reading her, would have been difficult to discern from behind the dark shades she too wore.

Despite being 9 years older than him, she stood 3"" smaller than him, a difference that was bound to continue increasing as Sigmund continued to grow, much to his delight. Back when he was a freshman, Sigmund had been particularly self-conscious over his comparatively small stature, no doubt made worse by the teasing he received from his class mates. Madeline had assured him on multiple occasions that he was simply experiencing a late growth spurt and while Sigmund had nodded in understanding as all children do when wanting to glance over a subject, the insecurities had not faded. At one point, when he had been at a particularly low point, he had asked her how she could be so certain. Madeline had taken him aside, sat him down, taken the picture frame containing a photograph of his parents from his bedside table and placed it in his hands. She pointed at his dad, who grinned out from the photo, eyes laughing as he hugged his wife against his side. "They don't strike me as small people." She simply said before elbowing him between the ribs and descending back into the coffee house. Of course looking back Sigmund knew that she hadn't been referring solely to their height. After all, the photo only showed the couple from the torso up. But it had been a small comfort for his 15 year old self. That had been 2 years ago, and now as a junior, Sigmund was finally enjoying the perks of his late growth spurt.

Charlie groaned again, leaning a little more of his weight on and Sigmund huffed as he struggled to keep him upright now that he was essentially carrying him. 

"Football game" he croaked as Madeline quickly ducked in to grab Charlies other arm. 

Madeline raised an eyebrow but kept quiet as the two of them focused on hauling the boy in through the front door. Several of the guests looked up at their entrance. New customers observed the trio with expressions of interest and concern while the regulars watched the procession with amusement.

"What did you get yourself into now Charlie-boy?" one of them called out as they passed, chortling as the boy grunted in response. 

"A Dickfellig," Sigmund called back in his stead, receiving a very weak slap on his shoulder from Charlie in what was undoubtedly a sign to shut up if the chuckles from the other customers were anything to go by.

"Ruben!" Madeline called out as they manoeuvred round the counter. "Ruben!"

The Sigmund helped her lower Charlie into one of the chairs in the backroom.

Madeline straightened up, arching her spine and rolling her shoulders as the weight was removed. Sigmund was involved in very much the same actions as a curly-haired young man with stubble and large glasses appeared at the top of the staircase.

"What's going on?" He asked before spying Charlie, eyes widening. "What happened to you?"

Madeline looked up at him. "Could you man the till for a couple of minutes while these two make themselves presentable and explain why they're late for work?"

Charlie let out another groan of protest which Sigmund translated as _I won't be moving for a week, you can't expect me to work like this_.

Ruben looked back towards his room, debating whether or not it was worth it to engage in an argument with Madeline before sighing and making his way down the steps, grabbing an apron and making his way out to the front of the shop while he tied the waist behind him neatly.

Madeline turned back to Sigmund. 

"So. A Dickfellig?"

Sigmund sighed and pulled up a chair while he recounted the tale.

"There was a game after school, but one of the teams was a player short 'cause their guy was stuck in detention and they needed someone to stand in for a little bit until he got out. Charlie volunteered."

Another groan emitted from the bruise sitting beside Sigmund. "So," he continued, "he was playing offence and had the ball when the other teams defence tackled him."

"I sense you are getting to the point of this story" Madeline said as she lifted Charlies shirt and put a cold, damp cloth on the bruise. Charlie whimpered, trying to both curl in on himself and away from the cool sting as he changed. Black and white fur sprouted from his face. His ears grew large and pointed as did his teeth and his brown eyes became an intense shade of blue before he scrunched them up against the pain of the cold touch.

  (Apgadnieks - http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Apgadnieks?file=ApgadnieksConcept.jpg)

"Defence was a guy from class, Roland Thomas. He's a Dickfellig." 

 (Dickfellig - http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Dickfellig?file=DickfelligConceptArt.jpg)

Sigmund winced as he remembered the noise the two had made as the thick skinned, 18 stone Wesen body tackled the much slighter, much smaller Apgadnieks. 

Madeline gave Charlie an incredulous look. "I'm not sure I've ever met someone so skilled at getting themselves into trouble," she told him. Charlie whined as he woged back and Matilda shook her head, small teasing smile briefly lingering on her lips. She grabbed Charlie's hand and placed it on the cloth, instructing him to keep it pressed to his skin and rest for a while.

She straightened and raised an eyebrow at Sigmund. "And where were you during this escapade?"

"Abandoning me so he could flirt with Marzipan Peters," Charlie groaned.

Sigmund felt his cheeks heat up as he spluttered indignantly as both Madeline's eyebrows disappeared behind her fringe.

"I was not!" he hissed at Charlie who somehow still managed to grin at him impishly.

"Marzipan Peters," his cousin repeated, testing the words. "Her parents called her _Marzipan_?"

"Exactly what I said!" exclaimed Charlie from where he was sat.  

"It's a nice name," he said indignantly. "And I wasn't flirting with her! I was just asking if I could borrow her notes from our english lit class."

"Flirting." Charlie insisted.

"What about that Daisy girl Ruben said you liked?" Madeline asked curiously.

Sigmund's cheeks were practically burning by this point. "I'm never telling Ruben anything _ever_ again" he vowed, which made Charlie laugh, though it was quickly followed by a groan as his ribs protested against the movement. Sigmund took a secret satisfaction in his friends pain.

"Plus, that was ages ago" he protested.

"And she was a Stangebär." Charlie put in.

Madeline spluttered while Sigmund glared daggers at his friend.

"A  _Stangebär_!?" She choked out, gawping at him.

 (Stangebär)

Deciding he had had enough teasing for one afternoon Sigmund hurriedly excused himself and grabbed an apron before darting out to the front of the shop. 

Ruben had just finished making two cups of what looked like caffe latte and placed them neatly on the tray lying on the marble topped counter. He looked up as Sigmund came out, still tying the apron straps around his waist, and nudged the whole thing towards him. 

"Table 14" he instructed and Sigmund glanced over to where a middle aged couple sat close to the window. The man flicking through his paper while the woman tittered on at him about something. 

He looked back at the older boy and glared at him as he picked up the tray. 

"You told Madeline about Daisy?!"

Ruben raised an eyebrow questioningly at him in the same way Madeline had, something that Sigmund swore he would learn to do eventually. 

"should I not have?" he asked

"No!" 

Sigmund promptly stalked away from his (almost) cousin and made his way swiftly towards the table in question, careful not to spill the drinks. 

Ruben was only 5 years older than he was and was as close a thing to a brother as Sigmund had ever had, despite the fact that they were not technically related. While they were both Madeline's cousins, they came from two different branches of the family and as such weren't connected by blood in any way. 

Ruben had recently managed to find a position as a junior animation assistant at one of the advertising firms in the city, but luckily the nature of his work meant that he was able to work from home and only needed to commute twice a week to meet with colleagues and his supervisors. This suited Ruben well. He was painfully shy and had only a few friends, though all of them shared a very close connection with him, something that he and Sigmund had in common. The only time he seemed fairly comfortable with strangers was when he was on the till in the shop and was able to escape at any ime if need be. It probably also helped that the majority of the shops clientele were regulars and Wesen to boot.

Sigmund often found himself confiding in Ruben and asking his advice, Ruben occasionally returning the sentiment and usually asking his opinion on any animation he was working on.

The couple looked up expectantly as Sigmund approached their table and gently placed the cups on the table in front of their respective owners, forcing a smile.

"Good afternoon Mr Penge. Mrs Penge," he greeted politely. "You're having your usual I see."

Mrs Penge smiled kindly at him and Sigmund found his smile becoming more genuine in return. 

"Hello Sigmund." She returned pleasantly. "Yes, well I was beginning to crave your special brew again and I figured I'd have a last proper cup before I have to switch to decaf," she said as she patted her stomach. Sigmund frowned in confusion for a moment before his brow cleared and he genuinely grinned at her.

"Really?!" 

Mrs Penge woged into her Bauerschwein form as she beamed proudly at him while Mr Penge rolled his eyes but the affectionate look in he gave his wife betrayed just how equally thrilled he was by the news.

 (Bauerschwein)

He looked up at Sigmund, "don't let her fool you. She's told just about everyone who will listen."

Sigmund chuckled while Mrs Penge snorted, "like you haven't."

"Well, congratulations to both of you." Sigmund smiled. "Though, I suppose this means we won't be seeing you in here quite so often then."

"Nonsense." Mrs Penge fussed. "if anything you'll be seeing us here more. I've already asked Ruben to put me down for some of your morning sickness remedy and you are the only Wesen coffee house in town. Like I'm going to go anywhere else for my decaf."

Suddenly she looked nervous, "You are still taking Wesen commissions, right?"

Sigmund nodded in assurance, "oh yes. Madeline passes them onto Ms Payne who brews it all together and then sells it back to us."

Sigmund was never quite sure how Madeline and Faith Payne, being what they were, had come to their business arrangement. He had asked Ruben, since he had been living with Madeline at the time, but Ruben insisted he didn't know the details either. Only that apparently, their initial encounter with each other had been 'rather lively'. 

It was safe to say it probably had not gone well. How they had moved from that to their current business arrangement was a mystery. Some might even term what the two of them had as friendship, though truly, Sigmund thought, their relationship was nothing anywhere near as simple as friendship.

"Oh good." Mrs Penge sighed in relief. "I'm not sure I would have the courage to go to a Hexenbiest directly."

 (Hexenbiest)

"Especially in your condition." Mr Penge agreed.

"Your cousin is very brave to strike up a deal with a Hexenbiest." Mrs Penge said nodding her head wisely. "Although I'm surprised that woman hasn't managed to find something to alleviate your condition. It must be so difficult to resist woging all the time." 

It wasn't one of her more subtle hints about asking after his Wesen type but Sigmund just smiled patiently at her from behind his dark glasses. "Unfortunately Mrs Penge, what Madeline and I have isn't that simple to cure."

She patted his arm comfortingly, "of course dear. I am sorry to pry. Maybe one day, eh?"

Sigmund smiled and thanked her before making his way back to the counter for the next order. Ruben had already disappeared from behind the till, probably back upstairs to carry on with his current animation project. 

Madeline smiled at him in good humour as he approached, despite the grumpy expression he adorned as he recalled their earlier conversation.

She reached out and patted his back in apology. "I'm sorry," she said gently, "I shouldn't have teased so much." 

He grunted in response, but already felt himself forgiving her. After all, despite his mortification he knew she had meant no harm. Still, for the sake of being stubborn rather than say anything he simply took the next tray to the indicated table and carried on working. Eventually, Charlie came hobbling out and took over behind the counter while Madeline did what Charlie usually did and served the tables.


	2. Chapter 2

**11 years earlier**

Anne stared unseeingly down at her bloodied hands. Someone was calling her name, but they sounded distant under the static ringing in her ears and the thudding of her own rapid heartbeat. Her chest felt constricted and she was vaguely aware that she was finding it difficult to breathe.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and before she could even register what she was doing, Anne lashed out, the back of her hand striking her assailant hard and with military precision.

2 bright blue eyes looked at her in shock as their owner stumbled back, assessing her warily. The voice that called to her again was wary. Cautious.

“Anne?”

Anne blinked heavily several times as she tried to shake off the numbness that had encased her whole body and frozen her mind.

“Freja?” she whispered in bewilderment as the blue eyes inching towards her took on a recognisable form.

Freja seemed to slag slightly in relief but still approached slowly, lest she end up on the receiving end of another of Anne’s blows.

“Anne, you’ve got to get out of here.”

Anne’s breath was shaky and shallow, her hands trembling.

“What have I done?” she whispered and Freja tried no to look at the bodies lying on the floor of her landing. Anne’s eyes, however, swept over the room in abject dismay. Erik and Rosamund Walker's lifeless eyes stared back.

“Freja, what have I done?!”

Freja reached out and grabbed her shoulders again.

“Anne, you can’t be here,” she said with growing desperation. “The police are on there way. You have to leave. Do you understand? You’ve got to go.”

Anne seemed not to hear her, simply continued to stare down at the bodies. Freja, knowing how little time they had, gave her a violent shake.

“Anne! Anne, look at me!”

She did and Freja wished that she had time to comfort her, for them both to comfort one another, but there simply wasn’t and Anne would need a great a head start as she could manage if she wanted to escape capture.

Perhaps if it were only the police to worry about the situation wouldn’t be so dire, but both of them knew who else would be listening in to the police radio chatter once this was discovered.

“You’ve got to go.”

Anne stared at her for a long moment, dark eyes wide and full of fear before she closed them and took several deep breaths, though they did little to alleviate her rapid panting, and eventually nodded.

She turned towards the stair case before stopping and looking back at her friend.

“What about you?”

Freja swallowed heavily around the lump in her throat and the tears threatening to fill her eyes.

“We’ll be alright.” She said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

 Anne’s features twisted into something indescribable. Something that managed to express guilt, sorrow, regret and despair all at once.

“I’m so sorry.”

Freja couldn’t stop the tears then, simply closing her eyes and nodding as she battled against the storm of emotions inside of her, her chelicerae emerging from her mouth as she felt herself woge.

“Me too.” She whispered.

When she opened her eyes Anne Walker was gone.

 (Spinnetod)


End file.
